Gary Barlow is excited to tour as a solo artist in 2018

British star Gary Barlow has admitted he is ''really looking forward'' to touring as a solo artist in 2018.

Gary Barlow is ''really looking forward'' to touring as a solo artist once again.

The 46-year-old singer-songwriter is set to perform a series of intimate solo gigs in 2018, starting in Edinburgh in April, and Gary is relishing the prospect of taking to the stage without his Take That bandmates, Howard Donald and Mark Owen.

Looking forward to the 33-date tour, Gary - who revealed he won't be releasing a new album - told The Sun newspaper: ''I had a lot of fun in 2013 when I played those smaller venues because you're so much closer to the fans.

''I'm also really looking forward to playing in a couple of cities I've never played before, as well as getting a chance to meet the fans there.''

Confirmation of Gary's solo tour comes shortly after he revealed the band have held talks with Hollywood movie bosses about the possibility of turning their musical, 'The Band', into a film.

The show has been warmly received by fans of the British group, and Gary admitted a movie version of the production could soon become a reality.

He previously shared: ''They came to previews of the show the other day. It's a possibility. We have never been involved in a film before - it would be a first.''

'The Band', which opened to critical acclaim at Manchester Opera House, tells the story of a group of boyband fans over the decades.

The show has already achieved the honour of becoming the fastest-selling musical of recent history, after tickets went on sale in April.

And Gary - who serves alongside Howard and Mark as an executive producer on the musical - revealed the production could eventually end up on Broadway in New York.

The 46-year-old star said: ''We never broke America as a band and it would be unthinkable, really. This show deserves a big stage.